León
Three blocks north of the cathedral, the 1786 Iglesia de la Recolección is considered the city’s most beautiful church, a Mexican-style baroque confection…
Must-see attractions in León & Northwestern Nicaragua
Reserva Natural Isla Juan Venado
León & Northwestern Nicaragua
This 20km-long, sandy barrier island (in some places only 300m wide) has swimming holes and lots of wildlife, including hundreds of migrating bird species…
Museo de Arte Fundación Ortiz-Gurdián
León
Probably the finest museum of contemporary art in all of Central America, the Ortiz-Gurdián Collection has spilled over from its original home in Casa Don…
León & Northwestern Nicaragua
Flor de Caña rum is among the world's finest and it has been produced in Chichigalpa since the distillery's founding in 1890. Visitors are initiated into…
Museo Histórico de la Revolución
León
León is the heart and soul of liberal Nicaragua. Stop into this museum for an overview of the Nicaraguan revolutionaries who stood up against the Somoza…
León & Northwestern Nicaragua
Anyone with even a passing interest in archaeology should stop in here, one of the finest museums in the country. The beautifully displayed collection…
León
Officially known as the Basílica de la Asunción, León’s cathedral is the largest in Central America, its expansive design famously (and perhaps…
Museo de Leyendas y Tradiciones
León
León’s most entertaining and eclectic museum is housed in La XXI (the 21st Garrison), decorated with murals graphically depicting methods the Guardia…
Reserva Natural Volcán Momotombo
León & Northwestern Nicaragua
The perfect cone of Volcán Momotombo, destroyer of León Viejo and inspiration for its own Rubén Darío poem, rises red and black 1280m above Lago de…
León & Northwestern Nicaragua
Most people come to this reserve to see the volcano Cerro Negro (726m and growing), one of the youngest volcanoes in the world. Almost every guide in León…
Reserva Natural San Cristóbal-La Casita
León & Northwestern Nicaragua
Eye-catching Volcán San Cristóbal (1745m), the tallest volcano in Nicaragua, streams gray smoke from its smooth cone. Achieving the summit of this beauty…
Iglesia de San Juan Bautista de Sutiaba
León
The Subtiaba neighborhood is centered on this church, located about 1km west of the León cathedral. It’s better known as ‘Catedral Subtiaba,’ and is the…
León & Northwestern Nicaragua
Buried and lost for over 300 years, this was Nicaragua’s first capital – a rough-and-ready settlement that some say was doomed from the start. Founded in…
León
Nicaragua's most famous poet, Rubén Dario, lived in this house for the first 14 years of his life – indeed, he started writing poetry right here at age 12…
León & Northwestern Nicaragua
This very active, 90.52-sq-km complex peaks at Volcán Telica (1061m), the twin craters of which are a mere 30km north of León. Also called the ‘Volcano of…
León
The Guardia Nacional’s last holdout in León can be reached by the 2.5km dirt road from the western side of Guadalupe cemetery, on the southern border of…
León
Call ahead to make sure this intriguing museum is open. You’ve probably noticed this neighborhood’s churches are in some disrepair, a situation that…
Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Inmaculada Concepción de la Virgen María
León & Northwestern Nicaragua
This beautiful church is home to Nicaragua’s patron saint and mistress of its biggest national religious event, La Gritería, when troupes of festejeros…
León
This interesting little museum inside the Casa Cultural de Subtiaba, is a beautifully muraled building; you may need to ask that it be opened. You’re…
León
The 1639 Iglesia de San Francisco is one of the oldest in the city, a national heritage site with lots of gold, a gorgeous nave, and a rococo interior. It…
León & Northwestern Nicaragua
This is Chinandega’s most important church, with a splendid Stations of the Cross, lots of gilt and some Russian Orthodox styling that have earned it the…
León & Northwestern Nicaragua
This series of hot springs and mudholes – likely connected to the Telica volcano and sometimes referred to as 'mud fields,' – is a desolate, sulfur…
León
Home to León’s patron saint, la Virgen de la Merced, this is considered the city’s second-most-important church. After Volcán Momotombo erupted and forced…
León
A hodgepodge of neoclassical and baroque styles, the richly hued El Calvario dates from the 18th century. It's notable, among other attributes, for the…
León & Northwestern Nicaragua
Chinandega has some seriously striking churches, including the 1878 Iglesia Guadalupe, which despite the radiant – and rather grandiose – colonial-style…
León
A homage to León’s more recent history is found at the Galería de Héroes y Mártires, run by mothers of FSLN veterans and fallen heroes, with murals,…
Reserva Natural Delta del Estero Real
León & Northwestern Nicaragua
There’s no tourist infrastructure at all for this enormous reserve, about 20km – two hours by bus by bumpy road – north of Chinandega in the desperately…
León & Northwestern Nicaragua
The Parque Central is downright audacious, a concrete confection of fountains and turtles with a very Jetsons-esque clock tower and a small locomotive…
León
Well signed 1½ blocks away from San Juan Bautista, this church was (according to local legend) cursed by duendes (fairies), and by the looks of it the…
León
A few blocks west of the Iglesia Santiago are the ruins of this 16th-century church destroyed by a volcanic eruption in 1835. It remains a spiritual…
León
For a truly comprehensive collection of creepy crawlies, butterflies, scorpions and other critters from all over Central America, drop into this private…
León
An early 20th-century landmark, the Casa del Obrero (House of the Worker) honors Nicaraguan laborers. The building became a historical symbol on September…
León
This church, two blocks east and one block south of San Juan Bautista, was constructed between 1706 and 1718. It's considered one of the best examples of…
León
This quaint park has a statue of the poet master and busts of other, lesser Leónese poets, including Alfonso Cortés (1893–1969), Azarias H Pallais (1884…
Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe
León
Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, built in 1743, is León's only church that's oriented north–south; it's historically connected to the city by the 1850 Puente…
Iglesia de San Nicolás de Laborío
León
Felipe III of Spain ordered this graceful church to be built in 1618. If you take the street east to the Ruinas de la Ermita de San Sebastián, you're…
León & Northwestern Nicaragua
This smoking city park, about 10km north of town and accessible by 4WD or on horseback, preserves 50 manzanas of mostly primary forest, including a…
León
For something completely different, swing by the ultra-Gothic 1884 Iglesia Zaragoza. There's an interesting mix of architectural styles here – it looks…
León
Built on a spiritually significant site for indigenous people, this 1742 church was wrecked during the Somoza's bombardment of León in 1979. You can still…
Mausoleo de los Héroes y Mártires
León
A monument to the local heroes, the eternal flame of the Mausoleum of Heroes & Martyrs rests within a small plaza just north of the Parque Central,…
